Collection of Chinese Translation Works by Yang Xianyi: Odyssey

"The Odyssey", also known as "The Odyssey", is a long epic poem written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. It tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus' ten-year post-war journey home and his sea adventures along the way. "The Odyssey" was created more than 2,700 years ago and is one of the oldest literary works in the West. It is also considered the pinnacle of culture for thousands of years. It has long influenced Western history, culture, religion and ethical concepts, and has become the source of inspiration for many subsequent literary and artistic creations. Yang Xianyi's translation was published in 1979. It adopted a groundbreaking prose translation method. First of all, it perfectly preserved the storytelling of the original poem. Secondly, it broke the restrictions of the poetic mode on restoring the musicality and rhythm of the language. It took into account smooth reading and fidelity to the original text, which is unique in the Chinese world. The playwright Aristophanes' masterpiece "The Birds" tells the story of two Athenians and a group of birds establishing a "kingdom in the clouds" between heaven and earth. It is the only existing ancient Greek comedy with the theme of myth and fantasy; the second is the strategy drama "The Haunted House", which tells the story of a clever slave who ingeniously plots to help his young master escape from trouble. The story is written by Plautus, the most important dramatist in ancient Rome and the first complete work to be handed down to the world; the third is the pastoral poem "Pastoral" that represents the golden age of Roman literature. Its author Virgil is regarded as the great poet of ancient Rome and the first "conscious" poet, which had a great influence on later European literature. The three works run through Greece and Rome, presenting different aspects of the ancient Western world.